About a months ago I move my horses into a new paddock on a small farm. On the farm are 3 cottages. The cottages all have a small private garden but also use of a larger communal garden. In one of the cottages there is a family with 2 young boys.
The communal garden sides onto my paddock. There’s kids swings ect in the garden and is clearly where the kids hang out. The younger one is not hers school age but probably not far off. The older one is in school.
My issue is that the kids are left unsupervised in the garden for blocks of time. They are clearly interested in my horses and constantly stand on the fences, shouting at the horses and generally make a nuisance of themselves. I have now had to padlock the gates so they can’t just walk into the field. They are also very rude. The little one when asked to get down off the fence he was standing on replied “ you can’t tell me what to do you don’t live here”. Followed up by “go away you don’t live here” and “hahaha you don’t live here, your bad”. All silly stuff but at that age I would never have spoken to any adult like that ever!
Yesterday I was trying to fill up the horses water trough. The tap is on the far side of the garden from the paddock. I connected to he hose up and turned it on and walked back to the trough so I could clean and fill it. Just after I had got to the trough the littlest one goes and turns the tap of and shouts “you can’t have any water you don’t live here” and runs off laughing.
This type of thing is happening every day. I’m also repeatedly finding balls and toys in the field with the horses that have clearly been kicked or thrown in. I have now stopped giving them back. At first I thought it was a mistake so kindly put them back in the garden for them. Then when it didn’t stop I went and had a word with the parents along with returning all the things that were in my field. They promptly handed them back to the kids (saying “boys will be boys”, and low and behold they are in the field again next day.
I have now had to put electric fencing up in the paddock to keep the horses away from where the children can see them or throw things at them. I really don’t want to have to move the horses because it’s close to home and has good riding. It’s otherwise a great deal.
The parents have got cross because one of the kids (funny enough the little one) has touched my fence and got a shock (shock will hurt but won’t do any damage). He apparently ran off screaming to his mum and the mum has got really cross and wants the fence removed.
The fence is about 10metres into the field which the children are not supposed to be in. There is no way they can have touched my fence without being somewhere they shouldn’t. AIBU to tell her no the fence stays and to keep better control of her kids?